Kurt Gwartney

Kurt began his radio career at 16 as weekend disc jockey at KOLS-AM/KKMA-FM (now KMYZ) in Pryor, Okla. He gradually began doing news work at his home town radio station. Kurt studied journalism at Oklahoma State University, serving two terms as managing editor of "The Daily O'Collegian." He returned to his radio roots while at Oklahoma State, working first as a part-time news producer, then as Morning Edition host at KOSU. Kurt left the station in 1990 returning to Pryor to be a part of a new business, ViaGrafix, that developed computer training videos. He eventually sold his business to attend seminary at The Iliff School of Theology in Denver and Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Okla. He served as minister of communications for St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City for five years before starting his own media business, Discuss Communications LLC.

In 2005, he once again returned to radio as the operations manager and Morning Edition anchor at KGOU, eventually transitioning to news director in 2009, where he also serves as editorial director for StateImpact Oklahoma.

Kurt is President of the Oklahoma Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and member of the Public Radio News Directors Inc. (PRNDI) board. He lives in Oklahoma City with his wife, the Rev. Charla Gwartney, and daughter, Elizabeth.

Woody Guthrie's relationship with his home state has always been complicated. The singer-songwriter left Oklahoma and traveled the nation, composing some of the best-known songs of his time and ours. But to many in the state, his progressive political views did not fit with a strong conservative streak during the Cold War period. His reputation there is now closer to a full restoration as Oklahoma opens his archives.